


Free of Charge

by floatshaven



Category: BNA: Brand New Animal (Anime)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:46:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25257136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/floatshaven/pseuds/floatshaven
Summary: Anima City has been picking itself back up after the Nirvasyl panic, and things are returning to normal for the most part. That said, there are still plenty of dangers lurking in the city, and Shirou remains quick to investigate these hazardous situations. When Mayor Rose asks him to look into some rumors regarding an illegal fighting ring, he's going to need the help of a certain weas-I mean, mink, to find out where these fights are being held.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 33





	Free of Charge

About a month had passed since the conflict between Anima City and Sylvasta Pharmaceuticals occurred and citizens were getting back to their daily lives. Affected beastmen were safely recovering from nirvasyl, while others returned to their working schedules, and so on. Some had to remain at home since parts of the city were still undergoing heavy repairs, but for the most part, everything was business as usual. Even though the dangers of nirvasyl syndrome were no longer a threat, Anima City was still Anima City, which meant trouble could occur at any given moment. This harsh reality is the reason why Shirou Ogami was still quick to answer whenever Mayor Rose needed him. It was also the reason why he continued to survey the city from his usual post on top of buildings with dizzying heights. Even though he usually hung around these areas to make sure things were safe and sound, at this moment, he stood upon the roof of the Beastman Co Op to bask in the city’s beauty. 

When they were not overshadowed by a mugging or a petty crime, the lights coming from the buildings and shops below brought a luminous comfort to Shirou. Kuro rested upon the god’s fluffy white hair, yawning as he watched the lights alongside his owner. It had been ages since Shirou could take a moment to relax and enjoy, well, just about anything, really. While he stared, a soft wind passed and caressed the side of his face. The gentle presence of the breeze relaxed him and provoked a silent smile across his lips. It was the middle of Summer and the warmth of the season mingling with the brief breeze was a combination that brought natural comfort to Shirou’s tired soul. 

He felt so serene he couldn’t hold back the rising corners of his mouth even if he tried. The sight of him smiling was quite a rarity, and if Michiru were awake right now, she would have teased him over it. Thankfully, the former human was resting soundly, giving Shirou some much needed alone time. He decided to get more comfortable for city gazing and sat down by the edge of the roof, sliding his legs in between the bars of railing. 

Before his behind could warm the tile beneath him, his bliss was interrupted by the buzz of his cell phone. He groaned quietly, scolding himself for even thinking he could take a minute or two to sit down. He got up and reached into his pocket, straightening his back, and watching as Kuro hopped off his head and onto the roofs railing. Without even trying to hide the annoyance in his tone, he answered with a curt, “Hello?” The voice on the other end belonged to Barbara Rose, the mayor of the city. “Oh? Is this a bad time?” she asked. “I was under the impression you were always ready and willing to protect our citizens, Ogami.” Her tone was gentle, and he regretted his attitude immediately. 

“No, sorry,” he apologized. “What’s the problem?” He took grip of the railing while he listened to the mayor speak. “Yes, well, we’ve been hearing rumors that there’s an illegal fighting ring occurring somewhere in the city,” she relayed. “We need you to track down where these fights are being held and who is organizing them.” Shirou slid his grip away from the bar to push his fingers through his hair, a growl forming in his throat. “I see. How do you suggest I begin this investigation?” He dreaded what would come next and closed his eyes tightly when the mayor responded. “I propose you start by looking for Itami and asking her about these events,” she said. “She always seems to know a thing or two about what’s usually happening in this city.” Shirou lightly clenched his teeth behind his lips and agreed to her suggestion, hanging up soon after. 

“There goes my peaceful night,” he grumbled and looked at Kuro. “Well, our peaceful night.” He extended his finger to the small crow to place it on his shoulder and set out to find Marie. As he walked from the Co Op into the city, he pulled out his wallet to check how much money he had on him. He counted quietly, his fingers pulling back the corners of the yen. Once he hit the second to last bill, he decided it would be enough to get the mink to talk. He placed the wallet back in his pocket and wondered why she was so adamant on being paid for any little thing she did. You could sneeze and she would charge you for a bless you. His eyebrows furrowed the more he thought about her behavior and having to hear her smug tone. She was a wonderful informant, sure, but this did not mean she was always pleasant to negotiate with. He sighed and took his beast form, sniffing the night air to find her. 

Despite the various scents of other beastman floating around, it did not take long for him to track hers and soon enough, Marie's shape was in his line of vision. She was currently on her way to the slums and pushing a cart with a tarp over it. Shirou rolled his eyes, of course she was up to her usual tricks. His strong sense of smell also allowed him to see what she had hidden underneath the tarp, and his eyebrows furrowed over what he saw. “She’d really stoop so low as to scam them?” he thought to himself while he began to follow her. His annoyance with having to pay her for information grew with this discovery, and his teeth clenched subconsciously. 

Kuro glanced at his owner, sensing the frustration within him. The crow’s eyes were lidded in concern as he jumped off Shirou’s shoulder to fly beside him. The wolf spotted a ladder on the side of one of the many buildings in the city and climbed his way onto its roof to navigate better. Leaping from building to building in Marie’s pursuit, his mind raced with a variety of scenarios and things he could say to her once they were face to face. Most of them were just ways he could call her a weasel or mongoose or any other animal she would be furious to be compared to. He chuckled at the remarks he came up with and hoped he would remember them once the time came. 

His scenarios were put on pause as he stopped to watch her take a turn into an alley way. He raised a brow at this detour and leapt onto the roof of a closer building to further investigate. The sound of a crunch underneath him made his ears stand straight and Shirou hissed quietly. He turned his head to look and saw his foot had broken through the flimsy roof. How could he have forgotten that the slums were such a delicate place? He laid on his stomach to avoid being spotted by the mink, trying his best to make his body lighter to avoid breaking the roof altogether. His boot’s sudden presence certainly surprised the residents living in the rundown home. 

Marie had lifted her head at the sound but shrugged it off, muttering something about how creaky the houses here were. A low sigh of relief escaped Shirou as he pulled his foot out of the hole and stood up. He continued to watch her, and Marie entered the building next door through an opening in the wall. The entrance was veiled by an old checkered bed sheet. Shirou sniffed the air again and closed his eyes, inside the building there was a group of three children and one adult. His eyebrows furrowed when the three young ones leapt joyfully from their seats on the ground and greeted Marie with laughter. Shirou's expression softened with pity, the poor things really thought she was helping them with her line of work. 

Marie smiled at the kids and knelt to greet them back. The children all spoke to her at once and the overlapping of their voices kind of gave Shirou a small headache. “Miss Marie, Miss Marie! Look what I drew today!” one said. “Did you remember to bring the cereal I asked for?” asked the other. “Wow, these clothes are so pretty, and they’re all for me?” asked the final child as she lifted the tarp over the cart to see what she had for them. What came next almost made Shirou choke on his breath. Marie’s voice was soft and there was a genuine kindness to her words when she spoke to them. No snarky remarks, no sing song-y tone. “Amazing! You’re getting better at drawing with each picture, Daiki,” she responded to the first. “You really should draw me someday; I’ll even pay you for it.” She tussled the boy’s hair and turned to face the next child. She laughed pleasantly before responding. “Of course, I did! I even memorized the name of it so I wouldn’t forget. You know you can always count on Miss Marie, Juri!” Finally, she turned to the last child. “You’re going to make all the kids in the neighborhood jealous with how pretty you’ll look in these, Chidori.” Her words made little Chidori blush while the child toyed with the bottom of her worn-out skirt. Shirou looked at Kuro in utter disbelief. There’s a catch to all of this, right? She’s putting on this sweet caring act just so she can swipe their mother’s money, isn’t she? Kuro rolled his eyes at his owner’s skepticism and perched himself onto Shirou’s head. “Don’t roll your eyes at me, I’ve got good reason to doubt her,” he responded quietly as he continued to watch and listen. 

After talking with the kids, Marie made her way to their resting mother. This was it; this was the moment where she would ask mom to pay up. “Thank you for helping us again this month, Ms. Itami,” the mother smiled at her. Though something about her smile seemed troubled. Shirou was sure now that she was taking advantage of this family, but then the mother’s words made him bite his tongue. “You really should let me pay you for all that you do for us!” Marie raised her hand in objection and shook her head. “I’ve told you a million times already, Mrs. Tamura, you don’t have to pay me back a cent,” she reassured her. “Until you can get a job going again let me take care of this.” She winked at the woman and Mrs. Tamura sighed with a guilty smile. 

“It’s been tough for us since my husband passed,” the mother responded. “But I promise, once I am employed again, I’ll pay back everything. Keep those receipts!” Marie rolled her eyes and shook her head with a smile on her lips. “Sure, sure, whatever you say,” she replied. She made her way back to her now empty cart and bid the family farewell. The children immediately cried in protest, and Shirou’s headache returned. They wanted her to stay just a little while longer, but Marie told them she had to go and help other people. The children quickly ceased their sobs and looked at her with admiration and stars in their eyes. They waved goodbye as she pushed forward her cart and made her exit. 

Halfway out of the alley she stopped to dig into her coat pocket and fished out the clump of receipts she collected while shopping for the Tamuras. She looked them over once, then threw them into the dumpster nearby. Shirou blinked at the sight of the receipts floating down into the receptacle and his shoulders dropped. He felt a series of pecks on his head and frowned. He looked up at Kuro who hopped off his head and hovered in front of him with a smug look in his eyes. “Alright, she was nice to one family, so what? She’s still going to give us hell when we ask for that information,” he huffed and leapt down from the building to go catch up to her. He emerged from the shadows back in his human form and lifted his voice. 

“Itami,” he called out with his hands in his pockets. She smirked at the familiar sound of his voice and looked over her shoulder to greet him. “Ogami! Fancy meeting you here, in the least fancy parts of Anima City. To what do I owe the pleasure?” Air sharply left Shirou’s nostrils at having to hear her smug tone return. He tilted his head to the side, glancing away from her while he responded, “The mayor’s recently caught word of an illegal underground fighting ring in the city. Do you know anything about that?” The smirk on her face grew and she also tilted her head, placing a finger to her lips in feign thought. “Hmm, an illegal underground fighting ring in the city? I might have overheard some fellas talking about that while out on a stroll. Oh, if only I could remember what those goons were babbling about!” She looked at him slyly and Shirou glared back at her. “I have to pay to hear more, is that it?” he groaned. Marie grinned as she responded, “Well, if you insist!” She held out her hand and Shirou stared at it for a few silent moments. 

“Can’t you just tell me about this without having to charge me?” he asked. “The same way you didn’t charge that family for those necessities?” The minute he uttered that question Marie’s eyes widened and her open palm curled into a fist. “Excuse me?” she said in a tone that made it clear she was appalled at his remark. He kept a blank expression on his face as he repeated himself. “I said, can’t you just tell me about this without having to charge me? The same way you didn’t charge that fa- “he was cut off by Marie's hand anxiously placed over his mouth. She took hold of his shirt and yanked him into another alleyway in between the poorly made houses. “I heard you the first time, wise guy,” she whispered harshly. “Don’t get cocky with me.” She bared her teeth at him, and he looked down at her in his usual deadpanned way. 

“Don’t touch me,” he muttered behind her hand. She slid it away from his mouth and her heels clicked back onto the ground. He hadn’t noticed she was on her tip toes until he heard the clicks. Marie placed her hands on her hips and looked away in frustration. “So, you were spying on me, huh?” she retorted. “That’s one way to put it, yes,” he shot back. “Hmph, leave it to a wolf to go sniffing around. Okay, so I was helping that family out, what of it?” She pouted. “Just because I like to make a quick buck doesn’t mean I'm heartless." He raised a brow at her response. "So why help for free? You've taken payment from other people in the slums," he questioned her. She was quiet for a moment, almost like she wasn't sure she should say anything. "I know how hard it is to be raised in poverty," she finally muttered. "and those kids don’t deserve it. If I had someone to help me out like this, maybe I wouldn't have had to become Sneaky Marie.” 

Shirou looked at her in surprise and lowered his gaze to the ground. So was that the reason she did all this scamming? He never considered where Marie came from or what her life growing up was like. He never really considered much about her, period. He only knew her as the clever woman who used her intellect to make quick money and also charged him monthly for a tab that _he_ didn't even open. It slowly dawned on him that she put on the façade of this crafty con artist, not for kicks, but to protect herself. After all, Anima City was not even close to being the perfect haven outsiders imagined it to be. ‘Screw them over before they screw you over’ was an unspoken rule, and even the slum residents had to get their hands dirty to make sure they could live another day. His thoughts were halted by her voice. “Well, I can’t make you forget what you saw so how about this,” she said. “Don’t let a word of what happened tonight be known to anyone else, capiche?” 

She glared sharply at him, and the irritated look on her face was tough not to chuckle at. Who would have thought Marie Itami would get her goat got by him? Shirou returned her gaze and held out his hand to her. “Alright, I won’t tell anyone,” he responded. Before she could shake his hand to seal the deal, he pulled it back. “If,” he began. “You tell me more about the fighting ring without payment.” She looked at him in confusion before her expression morphed into frustration again. “Fine,” She agreed. “I’ll tell you what you want to know free of charge…but only this time. I can’t let people think I’m going soft.” She blew some air out of her lips and Shirou brought his hand back down for them to shake on it.

“Deal.” 

After they shook hands, Marie told him they needed to find a private location to discuss this further. She pushed her empty cart again and led him to an abandoned home, parking it on the side of the house. She opened the door and walked in, dusting off an old stool for her to sit down on. Shirou followed closely behind and decided to lean against the wall instead of take a seat on the other stools laying around. “The fights have been rumored to take place in the west side of the city,” she said. “Someone mentioned something about them being in the hidden floor of a supply warehouse. It should be easy to track down since there aren’t too many warehouses over there.” She crossed her legs and arms, taking a quick glance at Kuro. The bird returned her stare and suddenly flew off Shirou’s shoulder to perch onto hers. “I’m not a statue or railing to rest on, little bird,” Marie uttered in mild annoyance. Kuro responded by getting even more comfortable and cooing softly. The woman rolled her eyes, leaving the bird alone and focusing her gaze on Shirou once more. “I also heard there was going to be a fight hosted tonight,” she said. “If there’s a better time to strike, it’s now, Ogami!” She winked, regaining her usual crafty confidence. Shirou nodded and signaled for Kuro to return to him. “Thanks for the information.” 

He turned away and headed towards the door, stopping at its frame to turn his head slightly at her. “It’s good to know you’re not as bad as I thought, ferret,” he uttered with a smirk. While he left, he could hear Marie shouting at him through grit teeth, correcting him on her species as she always did when people called her anything but a mink. Kuro cawed at his owner and Shirou brought a finger over to scratch under his beak. “Scolding me again?” he questioned his pet. “When did you take such a liking towards Marie?” 

As he passed the empty houses, he thought back on what Marie had briefly said about her poverty. He wondered just how bad it might have been for her. He knew better than to pity her, she would hate him for that, and she was wise in forming a reputation to protect herself from being taken advantage of. However, it weighed on him to know how many of his people got by in life by tricking each other, and just how many have suffered as a result. But seeing Marie help that family did ease some of his concerns. Knowing that beastmen were still helping one another despite their flaws, well, it made him feel like his status as their protector would always be worth it.

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, my first fic on this site! I recently watched Brand New Animal and I really enjoyed the characters! Marie instantly became one of my favorites, so I wanted to write something small to dip into her character and to form some kind of friendship between her and Shirou. I think their personalities are fun to bounce off each other. I've got a good amount of headcanons regarding Marie that I'll maaaybe be able to write about in due time. I definitely think she's always looking for cash for more than just selfish reasons. For now, I hope you guys enjoyed this!


End file.
